Spring Break
Baseball ranks 1st for first time
Baseball America puts A&M at No. 1
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Sports
Heading into the 2009 season, the Texas A&M baseball team achieved a No. 1 national ranking in a preseason poll for the first time.
With 12 days remaining before spring practices begin, A&M claimed the first spot in the Baseball America poll released Tuesday, a first for the program that began in 1894.
"There's no place I'd rather start and there's no place I'd obviously rather finish," said A&M Head Coach Rob Childress. "I'm proud for our program, our university and our players that we are ranked No. 1 in the country, but understand that that's ultimately where we want to finish."
In other preseason polls, the Aggies are ranked No. 9 by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and No. 4 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
A&M has had a No. 1 ranking during a season. But the Aggie baseball program has not been ranked No. 1 in the nation since holding the top spot in the Baseball America poll on May 17, 1999. They were also ranked No. 1 by the poll for five weeks in 1993 and nine weeks in 1989.
A&M is returning its complete weekend rotation from the 2008 squad that went 46-19 and advanced to the Rice Super Regional. The Aggies will be led by 2008 freshmen All-Americans Brooks Raley and Barret Loux and junior All-Big 12 selection Clayton Ehlert.
Travis Starling and Kyle Thebeau, two of the top relievers in the nation, will also return to the mound.
Childress will be replacing most of his infield after losing Jose Duran, Dane Carter and Blake Stouffer from the 2008 team. Duran was drafted as a junior. Carter and Stouffer graduated. The trio batted a combined .337 average and pelted 16 triples, 19 homeruns and 170 RBIs. They also generated more than a third of A&M's runs.
"There's four or five guys in big positions that will be new," Childress said. "We've got to have those guys start fast but understand that there's going to be a transition period, especially in the infield."
Childress will look to seniors Luke Anders and Kyle Colligan, junior Brodie Greene and sophomore Kevin Gonzalez to generate the bulk of the Aggies' offense.
Anders ranked No. 12 in the nation in 2008 in hit by pitch with 21 and No. 56 in the nation in on-base percentage with .486. Anders led the Aggies in both categories and hit a team-leading 16 homeruns.
Joining the Aggies for the new season will be Ander's brother, junior infielder Nick Anders, junior catcher Joe Patterson and freshman infielder Adam Smith. Smith is expected to replace Duran at shortstop.
Childress' recruiting class was ranked No. 6 nationally by Baseball America in October.
"Rankings right now are based on what you have coming back along with the recruiting class you have coming in, which is unproven with every program across the country," Childress said. "All those players are new to Division I baseball and haven't done anything yet. Everything is on paper right now."
With 12 days remaining before spring practices begin, A&M claimed the first spot in the Baseball America poll released Tuesday, a first for the program that began in 1894.
"There's no place I'd rather start and there's no place I'd obviously rather finish," said A&M Head Coach Rob Childress. "I'm proud for our program, our university and our players that we are ranked No. 1 in the country, but understand that that's ultimately where we want to finish."
In other preseason polls, the Aggies are ranked No. 9 by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and No. 4 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
A&M has had a No. 1 ranking during a season. But the Aggie baseball program has not been ranked No. 1 in the nation since holding the top spot in the Baseball America poll on May 17, 1999. They were also ranked No. 1 by the poll for five weeks in 1993 and nine weeks in 1989.
A&M is returning its complete weekend rotation from the 2008 squad that went 46-19 and advanced to the Rice Super Regional. The Aggies will be led by 2008 freshmen All-Americans Brooks Raley and Barret Loux and junior All-Big 12 selection Clayton Ehlert.
Travis Starling and Kyle Thebeau, two of the top relievers in the nation, will also return to the mound.
Childress will be replacing most of his infield after losing Jose Duran, Dane Carter and Blake Stouffer from the 2008 team. Duran was drafted as a junior. Carter and Stouffer graduated. The trio batted a combined .337 average and pelted 16 triples, 19 homeruns and 170 RBIs. They also generated more than a third of A&M's runs.
"There's four or five guys in big positions that will be new," Childress said. "We've got to have those guys start fast but understand that there's going to be a transition period, especially in the infield."
Childress will look to seniors Luke Anders and Kyle Colligan, junior Brodie Greene and sophomore Kevin Gonzalez to generate the bulk of the Aggies' offense.
Anders ranked No. 12 in the nation in 2008 in hit by pitch with 21 and No. 56 in the nation in on-base percentage with .486. Anders led the Aggies in both categories and hit a team-leading 16 homeruns.
Joining the Aggies for the new season will be Ander's brother, junior infielder Nick Anders, junior catcher Joe Patterson and freshman infielder Adam Smith. Smith is expected to replace Duran at shortstop.
Childress' recruiting class was ranked No. 6 nationally by Baseball America in October.
"Rankings right now are based on what you have coming back along with the recruiting class you have coming in, which is unproven with every program across the country," Childress said. "All those players are new to Division I baseball and haven't done anything yet. Everything is on paper right now."
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